John is focused on demonstrating to the reader that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so that believing you might have life in Jesus name (John 20:31). This intense focus causes him to sometimes skip over particular details. We have now reached one of these brief descriptions.
John writes, “Then Jesus, when he had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written; Fear not, daughter of Zion: Behold, you King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt” (John 12:14).
The rest of the gospel writers give us a little more detail. Jesus instructs two of his disciples to go into town where they will find a colt tied in front of a doorway. Jesus did not tell them to ask permission from anyone in particular, but if anyone should ask what they were doing, they were to simply respond “The Lord needs it and will send it back shortly” (Mt 21:2-7; Mk 11:2-7; Lk 19:30-35).
This story points to at least two things. One that Jesus was known well enough that whoever owned the donkey would immediately know to whom the two disciples were referring when the said “The Lord” needs it. Secondly the disciples trust Jesus enough to do what would seem very contrary to acceptable behavior.
